A Day to Remember
by Arteesta
Summary: Left broken and an amnesiac just before the twenty-first anniversary of him becoming a halfa, Vlad Masters must re-live his grueling past in order to gain back his memories. And there will be only one who can help him: Daniel. Eventual DxS and VladxOC.
1. Prologue

**Yikes… well, it's finally time for the unveiling. I really cannot convey how excited I am for this story to finally be on the site. It has taken me a lot of time to write and edit and I am thankful to all my friends who have proofread my work and made sure that I do not look like a fool.**

**I owe a special thanks to the people who commented on the note I left—thank you for the kind words and motivation that you gave me. You all mean the world and with this, we shall move onto what needs to be addressed before we jump into this Prologue.**

**One thing I would really like to say is that there will be**_**physical**_**as well as mental changes that the main characters—mainly Danny and Vlad, of course—undergo. However, I do not want you to get too sidetracked by them since that is second in comparison to the mental changes… Second, there will be some OC's that are to be paid attention to; I will make sure that you know which ones. There will be some minor OC's, but I think you'll be able to weed them out.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>"<em>He used his superb instincts to call Poison Control and an ambulance for the convulsing Vlad M. It is said by many that without the quick thinking of Jack Fenton, Vlad M. would have perished that afternoon…"<em>

The elder hybrid could not believe what he was reading.

How dare they commend Jack Fenton of all people? The article did not tell that Jack Fenton was the one responsible for the malfunction in the first place and instead portrayed him as the _hero_! It made Vlad sick to his stomach to read such garbage.

Nauseous from the short description, Vlad crumpled threw the ancient paper across the room. It landed in front of the crackling fire that roared in the grate, its light reflecting eerily on the fading ink and providing a soft orange glow.

He stood there for a few minutes before daring to venture over to his desk. Each movement was haughty and tight, not at all suave and confident. Re-reading the filth from his past only succeeded in winding up the elder halfa more. And he had already been stressed.

It wasn't enough that Vlad was dealing with the upcoming anniversary of his half-death, but he also was tied down with tons of paperwork and files at the office—he had to remind himself that it was his idea to propose a newer model of the ecto-flamethrower to his superiors.

Exhaustion threatened to close his eyes as he finally sat heavily into his home office seat and turned it towards the warmth of the flames. He did not pay attention to the distracting light playing across his sensitive eyes and instead focused on the picture that was the main focus of his overhead mantle.

A younger Jack and Maddie stood on either side of him, their arms intertwined around his waist. Vlad's arms wrapped around his old-comrades' shoulders affectionately; his smile was the biggest.

Anger rocketed through him and at breakneck speeds; Vlad rose from his chair, took the picture, and slammed it as hard as he could against the cold marble of the fireplace.

The result was shattered glass and, to his annoyance, a bloody hand.

But he ignored that. He focused solely on the split picture frame, pieces of glass still sticking to the picture on the inside.

_It resembles our friendship_: _shattered and irreplaceable_, he thought with mirth. The Jack Fenton and the Vlad Masters in the picture no longer existed. No longer did they feel as brothers. They were strangers to one another that could never be acquaintances.

Nimble fingers plucked the picture from its frame and in one swift motion, ripped it. The picture that was left showed an entirely different story. While Vlad and Maddie were wrapped in each others' gangly limbs, Jack was now ostracized.

Vlad placed the picture of Maddie and he in the top drawer of his desk and held onto the shredded piece of picture that was Jack Fenton.

The hybrid picked up the ancient article and stuck the torn picture of Jack in the topmost corner.

In his bloody hand, Vlad ignored the pain and summoned an electrically charged ball of energy. He applied the chill from his ghost core into the beam to make it cold and brought it down on the two pieces of parchment in his other hand.

Letting out a yell of satisfaction, Vlad clapped his hand over the contents of his hand and drew in a breath. The pages were soaked with a cool fuchsia slime, almost like a paste.

The slime would take on the roll of gasoline… only much more flammable and dangerous.

He breathed heavily while lowering the pages to the flames, his eyes glowering with hatred and triumph at the deed.

Though this was not literally killing Jack, it was a start. And Vlad Masters could not suppress the growing excitement that welled beneath his chest. All his hatred and his injustice were being let out in an outlet that he was sure to carry out in reality soon enough.

For the first time all morning, the half ghost smiled. "Oh Jack, what I am about to do to this paper is nothing compared to what I will eventually do to _you._"

Taking in one last harried breath, Vlad opened his fingers and allowed the stained items to drop straight into the crackling flames.

They sank into the intense heat and began to decompose right before his eyes, the memories changing into ashes. The feeling in his gut was sensational, one that he knew he would feel once the actual Jack Fenton was finished off.

He continued to watch until there was nothing left but melted debris amongst the firewood.

_This is a good morning routine,_he thought dryly.

He was momentarily lost in his fantasies when, breaking him from his reverie, the clock chimed loudly.

The billionaire was due to leave for work and if he was being perfectly honest, he did not contain the patience in order to deal with the flaming imbeciles that ran the laboratories. But sadly, if he was to maintain the luxuries that he kept in his fabulous Wisconsin mansion, he had to go to work.

With one last look at the crackling fire, Vlad sent a blast of cold energy towards the flames. On impact, the fire stuttered to a halt and faded to nothing but pillars of silver smoke.

Vlad had used his right hand, the hand that was injured… or should he say _once_was. The cuts that covered his palm and fingers were now perfectly healed and a pale pink. There was no need to bandage the wounds or give himself stitches.

Pivoting on his heel and heading out of his office to the front door, Vlad cackled.

Though Jack Fenton held a family and what seemed to be a perfect life, there was one thing the oaf did not hold. One perk of being a half ghost was the immortality and indestructibility it brought.

Two things, he was sure, that were able to take down Fenton once and for all.


	2. Chapter One: Headaches

**I know it has taken me little over six months to produce this chapter and I want to say that I apologize greatly. A lot has been going on, and since the start of the school year, I have been swamped with work.**

**Really quickly—I want to thank the people who reviewed for my Prologue: pearl84, DBack47, Codiak, and last but not least, ghostliyprincess. I send warm hugs to all.**

**Thankfully, things have settled down a bit what with it being Halloween; so, here you go.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Headaches<strong>

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><p>In his companies, the older hybrid went by the credo that actions spoke louder than words. Because he held no trust in what his employees promised, the man kept watch over those who made stupid mistakes, expecting them to<em>show<em> him that they improved.

As was well known, the second mistake they made would end with the termination of their employment right away.

Yet this credo on this particular day was causing the already disgruntled Vlad more distress as he stared at the gangly newbie that sat before him.

This was the second time in three weeks that Alex Levit was in his office, and quite normally, the billionaire would not have hesitated to fire him. But the hybrid was faced with a dilemma.

As much as Vlad hated to admit it, Alex was probably the most skilled scientist in the whole science division. When first seeing his resume, the man knew that the boy was destined for greatness. His college recommendations and standardized test scores were enough to prove it, and Vlad did not hesitate to hire the kid.

Massaging his temples, the hybrid could only shake his head at himself. Because it turned out that, while the young man's intelligence level was fairly high, his ability to follow rules was not. Which was why the young man was currently in his office, awaiting the reprimand that was to be delivered.

And quivering with barely self-contained rage, Vlad was readying to do just that. He was looking to release some pent up aggression after the morning he endured.

Inhaling from his nostrils and exhaling through his mouth, the hybrid fought the ectoplasm burning behind his eyes and looked to Alex more than a little flustered.

"You are in here for the s_econd_time in three weeks for the same stupid mistake. _Why_?"

Like an ant trapped beneath a magnifying glass, Alex began to squirm. "I was just taking a break and making some computer sketches, Mr. Masters… sir."

There was an awkward silence before in an effort to appear nonchalant, Vlad leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. But from what he could still see, Alex was still wary. Good boy.

In an effort to scare the newbie even more, the billionaire cocked his head to the side and looked out into space as if he were trying to recall something important. He clicked his fingers, pretending to remember the idea, and pointed at Alex.

"Oh, that's right. Your 'computer sketches'," Vlad made air-quotes around the word, allowing a devilish grin to grace his face. "I was under the impression that the last time you were here, I informed you that this company—myself running it—does not condone random sketches or experiments during business hours."

Alexander's face was the color of milk, large spots of color being the only things indicating that he was even breathing at all.

He tried to speak, but at first all that came out was air. The boy swallowed thickly, much to the amusement of the hybrid, and this time managed to squeak: "I didn't…" before he was roughly cut off by Vlad raising his hand.

If at all possible, the boy went whiter, and with his enhanced ghostly hearing, Vlad could hear the sound of the boys' heart beating frantically inside his chest. He watched with amusement as the boy pulled at his collar and wiped beads of perspiration that ran down his forehead.

The billionaire was having great fun. It was no wonder Spectra got such a kick out of misery. It indeed was delicious.

Two more minutes passed, and at seeing that the boy was close to having a panic attack, he finally chose to speak.

"You didn't think you would get caught did you?" At these words, the hybrid dropped the jovial act and became deathly serious. If the boy was terrified of his nonchalance, his heart would stop at the anger emanating off of him. "Well, I can assure you: you did.

"No one can pull the wool over my eyes, Mr. Levit. Not even intelligent youngsters such as yourself. The fact that you tried it again, I will admit, is a bit admirable, since in my book, you are categorized as a coward…"

Bright splotches of color appeared on Alex's face. But whether Vlad noticed them or not was not acknowledged.

"However, though you gained a few points in guts, that is not enough to save you from your repeat misbehavior. So I want you to go to your station, pack your things, and leave. You are hereby dismissed."

Mouth agape, all Alex could do was stare at his now ex-boss. The color from his cheeks was now gone and in its place was a wan quality surrounding him.

Alexander stood up slowly, every cell of energy seemingly obliterated from his being. Vlad simply watched with boredom as he made his way out. Honestly, the kid was acting as if the man had just killed his grandmother and dismembered her right before his eyes.

Seeing that he was at the door and about to leave, the hybrid dropped his eyes back down to the papers that were situated on his desk and began to read through them. But upon looking back up to locate a highlighter, the man was greeted with the site of Alex still standing in the doorway of his office, hand on the doorknob.

"…" A sound came out but no words were spoken, and Vlad was beginning to think that the boy could be overshadowed by some lower class ghost.

His ghost sense had not gone off though, and the man's brief wonderment turned into impatience as he stared back at the gaping-mouthed ex-employee. He was about to say something when there was almost a huff of indignation.

Vlad arched one brow as he witnessed the boy gather his words together. And when he finally spoke, he was not suspecting to hear what came out of his mouth.

"This isn't fair!"

Both brows now went up in mirth as Vlad continued to stare down the now bright red Alex. Where he got this sudden bravery from, the hybrid did not know. But what he did know was that Alex was acting like a child.

"What isn't "fair," Mr. Levit is that you are wasting my time with your attempt to try and change my mind. I am not going to argue with you as I am not going to bother with your child-like attitude. That is the door, Mr. Levit. Don't let it hit you on the way out, hmm?"

"You are going to regret this," Alex whispered shakily, his hands fisted around the doorknob. "I will become a world-renowned scientist… Someone like Steve Jobs! And you'll be really sorry you fired me!"

Letting out a bark of cruel laughter, Vlad motioned for the disgruntled boy to leave. He did not pay attention to Alex's _dramatic_exit, but heard with shocking clarity the click of the door as it shut, leaving silence behind with it.

Vlad scoffed to himself and finally alone, leaned back in his chair, resting his head against the back. He could feel the weight of his white ponytail hanging behind him, but he chose not to acknowledge it as, for just that moment, the headache he went through all morning lightened, leaving only a feeling of satisfaction.

After dealing with Alex and having a few moments to just breathe, the hybrid was able to get back to work without a hitch. With calculations and blueprints covering almost every available inch of his desk, the hybrid got down to business.

But after a while, when his hand began to cramp and his eyes began to grow tired, the halfa decided to brew himself a cup of tea and perhaps let his mind wander a bit.

Standing up and flexing his fingers, Vlad teleported over to the mini sink area and began to assemble all the things he would need to make tea. He focused his mind on the trivial task of filling up the kettle with water and placing it on a low simmer before he walked a little ways away until he was standing in front of the view his office held.

In his office there were three very large bay windows, overlooking a spectacular view of the Wisconsin foliage. Whenever the billionaire was in deep thought or needed to calm himself, he wandered over to the center window and allowed himself to enjoy the beauty that was around him.

Quite usually, the scenery would calm his nerves or mind enough where he would be able to come back to reality. But on this day, even focusing on the slightest of details that he could see with his ghostly powers, the man could not seem to find mental relief.

He was too busy thinking about the article the impending date, how tired his body was, and Alex, probably the best scientist Vlad Co. had ever known, being fired.

They were circling around his thoughts so much that Vlad, as if privy to being spun on a merry-go-round for too long, suddenly felt dizzy and out of breath. But it passed quickly, and what was left was a feeling of disgust at his own thoughts.

"Get a hold of yourself, Masters," he berated himself, running a cold hand through his hair. "You will make yourself ill if you keep thinking this way."

He already was, though. Over-thinking things was his undoing whenever he thought about… that day. So he should stop!

Gritting his teeth and pushing away any negative feelings, the hybrid took two deep breaths. When he was much calmer and in his right mind, the man was suddenly greeted by the high-pitched shriek of the kettle.

Not feeling like walking, Vlad teleported over once more and switched off the burner. Placing the tea bag into the empty mug and throwing the small string over the side, the man poured hot, broiling liquid into the mugs depths.

And taking a long, deep breath of the spicy perfume that sprang from the mug, the hybrid brought it over with him to his desk, grabbed a coaster, and placed it gently down on the mahogany desk.

The hybrid closed his eyes to be greeted with complete and utter silence—just the way he liked it.

For the first time all day, the hybrid was actually at peace. Bringing the hot mug up to his lips, Vlad was just about to take a sip… when his office phone let out an ugly trill. His eyes flew open and, moving too fast, he spilt the hot tea completely down his suit.

There was a moment of silence before the hybrid roared with rage and, without thinking, threw the now empty mug of tea up into the air and sent a harsh, red ectoblast at it. On impact, the mug disintegrated into burnt ash as it fell all around him like morbid confetti.

Vlad surged for the phone and picked it up mid-ring. "_What is it!"_he barked.

His secretary on the line let out a loud squeak in alarm before answering the question that was so roughly thrust at her. "Mr. J… Jack Fenton is on line one, Mr. M… Masters… sir."

Blind fury ignited within his ghostly core as ice blue eyes became cold-hearted vermillion. The oaf had the audacity to_call_him in the middle of the day? Vlad swore that if Jack were in front of him, he would break his neck.

The front of his shirt was now soaked with warm tea, and moving blindingly fast, the hybrid slammed the button to connect him to line one with such violence that it nearly dislodged itself from the console.

"_What!"_he growled. His eyes were no longer human, but were purely feral.

"Hi buddy!"

All he wanted to do was put a bullet in his brain at the sound of his voice. For almost a month, the man had put off talking to the oaf for the sole reason of keeping his blood pressure from skyrocketing… especially as of late.

In fact, the only time he visited Amity Park was to terrorize Daniel, and even that activity had come to a screeching halt with all that was happening in his life.

But of course, as usual, things had their way of sneaking up on him, and taking a few short breaths to at least set his pupils back to normal, the man answered.

"Hello Jack." Even when he was calm, he was very aware that his voice sounded strained. But knowing Jack and how imperceptive he was, Vlad knew it would go unnoticed.

"How's it going, my man? Haven't talked to you in ages!"

"I'm aware," the hybrid answered frostily. He really just wanted Jack to get to the point of why he called—if there was one.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone before the man replied. "Well, uh… yeah. I just wanted to see how you were doing… see if we could catch up and talk about the old days…"

"I don't think so, Jack. I am awfully busy at work what with my newer designs and as it is, I will not be getting out of work until somewhere around nine."

"Oh!" Jack responded, enthusiastic. "I didn't mean tonight. I was thinking more around the lines of tomorrow night, say… six for dinner. We could go down to the lab afterward and reminisce about the good ol' days…"

To stop his incessant yammering, the billionaire cleared his throat. When he no longer heard Jack's booming voice over the line, Vlad chose to speak. "Yes, well… I will have to think about it. I honestly do not know what I have planned for tomorrow, let alone at six. I might have a budget meeting of some sort—"

Before he could finish, he was rudely cut off. "Make it seven-thirty, then. I remember you telling me that your meetings never last too long, and if you leave at, say, six-thirty, you can make it here in time to eat."

Damn it. He did recall telling Jack that once, but he certainly didn't think he would remember it.

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on, V-Man. I know you want to see us. I'm not hanging up until I hear a 'yes'."

Feeling his patience growing very thin, Vlad sighed in defeat. If he wanted to get off the phone with the oaf, he would have to accept the invitation offered.

"Fine, Jack. Seven-thirty it is. Shall I bring anything? Wine, bread?" _A knife to slit your throat, perhaps?_

Jack scoffed loudly and then laughed. "No, Vladdie. All that we need is you."

Taking that as a sufficient conversation finisher, the billionaire clicked the phone back onto the console and hung his head in his hands. How he would deal with someone as insufferable as Jack Fenton, he would never know.

With a great sigh, Vlad sunk into the nearest chair and rested his head against the back. There was no way, he deduced, that he could get around the situation without having to take a reign check of some sort.

The only way that the visit would be worthwhile was if the man could toy with Daniel.

A sudden smile came to his face. Attacking Daniel would make his visit to that God-forsaken place worthwhile. After all, as he stated, he had not been to Amity Park in a little while. Perhaps Vlad could stir the pot a bit.

Satisfied with his plan, the hybrid stood from the chair. It was settled. He would go to the Fenton's house for the sole reason of providing Daniel with emotional distress—one of his most cherished activities to partake in.

Vlad was making his way back toward his desk in elation when he noticed how clammy his front was. And upon looking down and seeing the stain his spilt tea had made, a brief red fire glowed within his eyes.

Yet remembering that he would get to see his favorite punching bag tomorrow evening, he simply applied heat to his hand and ran his palm over his shirt.

Soon the shirt was warm and devoid of all wetness, and Vlad set back to work, the calmest he had been all day.

**It seems like the scene up top is sort of… random, but it has a deeper purpose, so I want you to trust me, okay?**


	3. Chapter Two: Set In Stone

**Chapter Two: Set In Stone**

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><p>There was not much to consider anymore. Seeing their individual lives and how they would eventually merge, he needed to act as swiftly as possible. Of course, the only question that lingered was how to do so without leaving behind extensive damage.<p>

Clockwork had come up with tens of plans over the last week, yet the only solution that made sense was the one that was most troublesome. And though his job provided that he do whatever he needed to protect the delicacy of the time stream, he did not think that warranted tampering with people's _existence_!

The spirit could not help but feel dismayed, not just about what he needed to do, but with his conflicting emotions. He normally made decisions based on what was good for the time stream. However, with this particular situation, the Time Master was obsessing over the people he was basing his plans on.

Sighing, Clockwork closed his eyes and carefully erased all that he knew about the halfas who were involved. If he did not know Daniel Fenton and Vlad Masters and was just acting on pure instinct, he would not hesitate to go with his instinct.

The only problem was that, even if Clockwork did not know the hybrids as… personally as he did, his planned actions still seemed pretty harsh.

Giving someone a second chance was never easy, he knew. But by going through with his plan, he would be fixing a lot more than the time stream.

With this knowledge in mind, Clockwork felt more at ease with his decision. And having to consult his superiors, the Observants, the spirit tapped the floor lightly with his staff, sending an invisible wave of sound towards his superior's barracks.

Moments passed before the Observants fazed into his abode. As usual, they looked less than happy to have to come and contend with Clockwork, even though they insisted upon forcing their ways onto the time spirit.

"You called, Clockwork?" the Observant to the left, Alco, asked. If one listened hard enough, there was an Irish lilt to his words, driving the evident boredom in the one-eyed creature's tone.

The second Observant simply nodded his head in greeting. He hardly spoke except for a few words, knowing only Esperanto, and so left most of the talking up to Alco.

"The goal of this plan is not to hurt—though that will be done inevitably—but to give this hybrid a second chance," Clockwork informed. "This man may not deserve it, but judging by what I've seen, more than this man's life will be saved if all goes well."

Both Observants nodded their heads comprehendingly. They were already aware of the gravity of the situation that their Time Master was dealing with.

Vlad Masters was a man that was feared amongst the human world and ghost world. He was known for using anything in his power to get what he desired and did not rest until what he wanted was in his grasp. It was known by those in that very room that Vlad Masters had wanted to kill Jack Fenton since college. If what the hybrid was planning proved effective, it could shatter multiple souls, causing an evil timeline to be brought to life.

"A second chance, you say?" asked Alco, his expression serious; yet underneath, there was an inkling of dubiousness.

The Time Master smiled faintly and said, "A second chance is all anyone really needs. You remember, of course, when Daniel Fenton was awarded a second chance after fighting his alternate self?"

Alco and Silas nodded. "Well," said Clockwork, "though Vlad Masters is an entirely different case altogether, I feel that seeing the error of his ways will motivate the older hybrid to change his ways for the better."

"I get where you are going with the second chance bit, but how will we execute this without darkening the time stream further with our mediating?"

This question made the spirit's eyes darken. Violence was fine when time called for it, but not in ordinary circumstances. He liked to use mental strategy, not physical. But in order for this to work, he would need to sink to Plasmius's level.

"For this, you must understand, Alco, that I do not feel very good about this. However, we must sink to the deep and shadowed level of Vlad Masters for this to really take effect. One small push is all it will take on our part. The rest lies in another's hands…"

"And whose might that be?"

"The infamous Danny Phantom, of course," Clockwork said, smiling wryly.

"Wait… let me see if I have this straight, Clockwork," Alco interrupted, sounding as if he had been running. Silas simply stood near the other Observant, never taking his eyes off the spirit.

Clockwork had a vague feeling that Silas comprehended what needed to be achieved.

"You are leaving this very urgent matter in the hands of a sixteen year old?"

"Despite his young age, I trust Daniel Fenton very much. He is a young man who acts on pure instinct. Though I know I will be settling a lot more weight on his shoulders, I am confident that he is Vlad Masters' white knight."

"For God's sake, Clockwork! _They hate each other_! This plan will fail if you are counting on Daniel Fenton to _save _his mortal enemy!" Alco bellowed.

The Time Master gathered himself to full height as he spoke, balancing his staff loosely in his smooth, child-like hand. Having been thinking and talking for so long, the time spirit had not paid attention to his changing form.

Not that he ever did, but in that split second when he turned into the form of an old man, he truly felt the age. Planning a grand scheme such as this one was tiring him out and suddenly very tired, Clockwork wanted Alco and Silas to approve so that he could catch up on his rest.

But first, he needed to persuade Alco. "I am aware of this, but what you must understand is that the two of them: they are the only two halfas in existence. Think of it psychologically. None of us here or in the human world could help regain what these two have lost while being who they are. Danny Fenton is a boy who can see both sides, good and evil, because he has experienced just how dark he can let his soul get with the chance of gaining power. Vlad Masters has already succumbed to this darkness, and it is about to rule his entire life with one decision.

"With the perspective of a boy who has fought to keep his innocence and purity alive, I am sure that he will see the good in Vlad Masters, no matter how deep down it is, because he is able to see the good in everyone, even me, and help to resurface it. I will admit, _I _do not even know how, but it will work—it _has_ to work, because Daniel Fenton has walked through fire all to remain on the lighter side of this world. If Danny Phantom cannot help Vlad Plasmius, I simply do not know who can."

Silence settled over the tower. Clockwork knew that Daniel Fenton was able to help the darkest of beings—he just needed to find his own strength. And with this sequence of events, his life would be saved just as much as Plasmius's. It had to work. There were no other options.

The Time Master settled into his chair and waited for Alco's reply. The Observant looked persuaded enough, but there was something shining in the creature's eye that still looked like he was missing something.

Finally, after twenty minutes passed by, Alco floated over to Silas and whispered in his ear. A smile appeared on the other silent Observant's face.

"_Jes_," Silas communicated.

That one word was enough for the spirit. Changing into the form of a young adult, Clockwork nodded his appreciation to his Observants and dismissed them.

It was only when he was alone once more, once again seated, that he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against his palm, satisfied with his decision. He could already feel the change approaching.

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><p>It came to him seemingly in his sleep. Though the billionaire was satisfied when he left work the night prior, he was practically bursting with energy the next day as he dressed, ate, and prepared for work.<p>

Nothing was going to get in his way today—not his thoughts or his busy schedule. The only thing that he allowed to rule his thoughts was the fact that tonight Daniel Fenton would be the brunt of his frustrations.

Vlad was relaxed and that showed as he strolled into his office the next morning, greeting some of his receptionists on his way to his office. His employees all greeted him with surprise at his good mood but were smart enough not to question it, and the halfa made himself comfortable in his office as he began to tackle the pile of papers in his tray; he would need to sign if he wanted his newer line of flamethrowers to carry on without a hitch.

Busy at work and in a good mood, the time flew at a rapid pace. Vlad would look at the clock every so often to see what time it was and grinned evilly when he saw he was due to leave for the Fenton's abode soon.

And piling the remaining documents into his briefcase to take home with him, the man was about to leave when his phone rang.

He was curious. He was not scheduled for any meetings and certainly was not expecting anyone for a consultation. The only people he could think to come on this floor would be Alex, and because the boy was fired, that was highly unlikely. Of course, unless the boy was here to hassle him about getting his job back.

However, that would be highly unlikely simply because the intern was a coward.

So why was his receptionist ringing him? Hitting the button to direct him to the front line, he called, "Yes?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Masters—Charlotte Darrel is here to see you."

Vlad's eyes widened in disbelief. Charlotte Darrel was the CEO of Darrel Weaponry, the third largest weaponry market in the world… next to Vlad Co. and DALV of course. The woman came from an old European family oozing with money and was known amongst her competitors, Vlad being one of them, as a shark. And she absolutely detested him.

The only thing she liked about him was his company and had been trying to buy it off him for nearly double what it took to build it for years. No doubt she was here for exactly that reason. Yet the woman knew that he would not sell, so why was she wasting her time?

"Sir?" his receptionist prompted, sounding tense. Charlotte was probably standing over her, waiting.

"Send her in."

Only minutes passed before his receptionist pushed his office door open to reveal what appeared to the untrained eye as a very attractive woman. Vlad knew better.

Her hair cut into a spiky ice-blonde bob framed by dramatic side-swept bangs made her large blue eyes pop out as she stared directly into his icy blue gaze. She was wearing a simple black wrap-around blouse with matching trousers, which to Vlad would have appeared too simple for the woman's taste had it not been accessorized with expensive jewelry. A slim silver chain hung from her thin neck, holding a ruby the size of a baby's fist. On her wrist hung an elegant diamond encrusted tennis bracelet that shone brilliantly in the light of the room as she waved daintily with her fingers, painted the same color as the hanging stone.

Emerging from behind his desk, Vlad walked with what was meant to be a charming, yet mischievous smile. He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly, following that with a kiss on both sides of her face as the Europeans did.

"Vladimir," she purred. There was a vague English lilt to her words as she spoke. "Oh look at you, you haven't aged a bit since I saw you last."

Chuckling, Vlad shot back, "Considering it has only been four months since our last encounter, I would say not. You look lovely."

Her eyes brightened at the compliment and maneuvering expertly on designer heels, she strode around the billionaire and sat in one of the available chairs in front of his desk. Again Vlad chuckled, yet underneath the surface, he was carefully studying her.

Because though Charlotte was not easy to read, she usually made her motivations clear. And by beckoning him to sit down in front of her, the halfa was guessing that she wanted to speak to him about something pertaining to her desires… as always.

The key to winning with her was to play her carefully concocted mind game. If Vlad were not a ghostly villain and knew what he knew about business, he would have been swindled by the woman a long time ago.

There was a reason people referred to her as a shark.

"Business has been going well, I see," she chimed. "You must be busy."

"I could say the same for you, which is why I am wondering why you are here… Although for you the change of scenery must be refreshing."

Charlotte smiled, revealing a set of straightened, pearly white teeth. "My my, you do cut to the chase rather quick. I can't blame you, though. I must say, I do grow so tired of dancing around what really must be said, so I'll just cut to it, shall I?"

Vlad felt himself go tense. Charlotte, seeing this, laughed.

"You have heard from my lips countless of times that I am interested in buying your company from you and compensating you double…"

The billionaire was about to argue but, in the same manner that he used with Alex the morning before, she raised a hand to quiet him. Charlotte smiled brilliantly, although worry shown in her pretty face now. Crossing his arms, he waited.

"I'm not proposing to _buy _your company this time, Vladimir; I'm saying that we should merge."

Outraged, the man hopped to his feet and stared at the woman incredulously. That five letter word, though sounding simple, was more or less thought of as a death sentence for companies. Merging meant that both Vlad Co. and Darrel Weaponry would have to start from scratch; and even with how popular the two weaponry companies were, that certainly did not mean success.

The elder halfa had worked too hard and too long to build up his company only to have an attractive woman tear it down all so she could share the limelight with him. As a billionaire—and a villain—who negotiated deals with cut-throat businessmen and obsessive evil ghosts, Vlad knew that this woman was trying to give herself the upper hand through this opportunity.

"Absolutely not!"

"Oh come now, old friend," she purred. The edge was stronger in her voice now, leaking a bit of anger, and it gave the villain pure satisfaction to know that he was able to ruffle those carefully pruned feathers of hers. "Think of us, together, with weaponry running in my blood and your cut-throat way that you do business, there is no way we could fail."

"Like the other times we have spoken of this, my answer remains the same—get out of my office."

Charlotte rose to her feet carefully, crossing to the other side of his desk. The halfa watched her warily, quickly calculating in his mind how he was going to handle this situation.

It appeared that, though he craved to have a day of normalcy at the office, it just would not happen, and Vlad felt anger rise to the surface. This woman would not control him!

"Wait a minute," she cooed, sitting carefully at the edge of his desk, "you need to hear the whole proposition before you say no to it."

Vlad already knew what he wanted and that did not include merging with Darrel Weaponry. But it would not harm him to hear her out; doing so could be the key to getting this crazy woman out of his office. He knew by the way the sun sat in the sky that it was growing closer to night.

He should have been on his way to the Fentons by now. Damn her!

"I am already clear on how you stand on this deal, but I think that, with this little tidbit of information, you will find it more… endearing.

"We are old friends, aren't we?" When Vlad refrained from answering, Charlotte simply shrugged to herself and moved closer to the hybrid, to his disgust. "After all, we have known each other since the beginning, so it is not a matter of not knowing what you are jumping into. I run my company like a well-oiled machine, and so do you… at least, that's what I would like to believe; although I have been hearing some un-nice things…"

"Get to the point! What on earth are you speaking of?"

"Let's just say that a… source of mine tells me that, while the pay is good and there are benefits, you run your company rather tyrannically."

Vlad scoffed, letting his anger show. "A source means your little corporate spies."

"Yes and no. This one is trustworthy, believe me, and he says that you as a boss can be downright abusive. And though I think the way you display your power is downright attractive," Charlotte got into his personal space, face to face, "you are a little… well, abusive, dear."

Almost as if a light bulb sparked over his head, the hybrid nudged the woman out of his way and turned the position around so that he was towering over her. She let out a giggle and moved her hand to gesture to his behavior as if to indicate what she meant. He paid her indicative action no mind.

"Are you blackmailing me?" he demanded.

She did not answer. "What are you insinuating?" he bellowed, getting in her face.

"What I am _insinuating_, dear, is that your abuse will not stand with me in the picture," she pivoted so that she could assemble her pocketbook and glanced back at him. The air of triumph that glowed around her was blinding.

This woman had the gall to come into his own office and blackmail him with the very men and women he used as pawns to run his very lifestyle. He could not fathom who her spy could be or how he could gather information so effortlessly.

Sure he acted tyrannically at times, but with it being his business and livelihood, he was entitled to acting in the way he did. Charlotte Darrel may treat her employees with respect, but she was still third place.

Vlad would rather have first place and be thought of as a dictator than be third place and fatherly. He would not give in to this… wenches' demands. But what could he do then?

Threatening to poach employees was something only a desperate businesswoman would do and he had great experience in the desperation category.

The only thing the man could do was direct the hate that he felt for this moment and his life into his gaze. Her being the coward that she was lowered her eyes to the floor, yet her smile still stayed in place, as alluring as ever.

For now, as she had wanted, she held the upper hand.

"I suggest that you think long and hard about this, love," she stated, "because there is no way that I am going to drop it with what I can dig up on you. Added to the people I could win over, I have the power to ruin your existence."

Though curses echoed at full volume in his mind, Vlad kept a level head. "Try poaching them, but know that I will not stand back and watch so that I can keep clear of war. As for the "digging" aspect, there is nothing to hide, Charlotte. You can search as much as you want, but there will not be anything you can unearth on me that you do not already know.

"This is a game now, dear girl," he drawled, his mouth hitching at the corner, "and I assume you will be ready to play if you wish to carry on with this little plan of yours."

Running her fingers through her hair, Charlotte knocked her head back and let out a laugh that sounded like bells. Even with her laugh, however, and the way she positioned herself, she could not look beautiful to Vlad. He saw straight through her and was pleased to know that she did not know it yet.

Vlad would let her keep her delusions though. She made her way to the door nonchalantly before, as the halfa expected, the woman turned around.

Laughter evident in her tone, she drawled, "Your offer stands for as long as it takes to call me."

With that and the swift closing of his office door, Vlad was left alone again. But though he knew she was well out of the building by now, he listened to any sign of her voice with his ghostly hearing, keeping his eyes closed.

When he felt and heard that she was no longer in his vicinity, the man allowed a few curses to escape his lips. He would need to come up with a form of defense… but not now.

Eyes falling on the clock on his laptop, he saw that it was seven-fifteen.

With calm movements, Vlad grabbed his briefcase, smoothed his hair, and headed for the elevator, headed for the parking lot. If he did not leave now, he would be late for dinner. Late for Jack and Daniel. And that would just not do.


	4. Chapter Three: Bad Day

**I was on vacation without use of a computer for nearly two months. The deck was not stacked in my favor… as always. **

**Chapter Three: Bad Day**

Daniel Fenton shifted his heavy book bag on his shoulders for what felt like the eighth time as he trudged his way home. The boy was absolutely exhausted, having had an awful day, and with the weight of his backpack slowing him down, he felt like he would never get home.

The teen huffed in frustration as he did his best to not falter under the weight of his pack. The only reason why he was not using the aerial route was because his ghost form was badly beaten; it would seem that both his forms were deadly tired and that only contributed to his bad mood further. He just could not catch a break.

Since his accident a year and a half ago, Danny's life was a constant struggle. On average, the boy got into three to four ghost fights a day, keeping him from focusing on what he needed to have a bright future. His grades, which were average in his freshmen year, were now in the toilet, squashing the possibility of being an astronaut, and it seemed like everyone was making great strides in their lives except for him. There was no time to work on homework or study for tests when renegade ghosts pestered him constantly.

Then there were his parents. His mother and father were confused by the lack of energy their youngest teen possessed. Danny woke up every morning absolutely bone tired, practically dead on his feet, even after he retired to bed early. His lethargy was the best way they could describe the plummet in their bright son's grades over the course of his high school career.

The ghost obsessed duo could not possibly know that their son was flying through the skies at ridiculous hours of the night, risking his life to keep Amity Park safe from the rabid ghosts that inhabited the very world they opened. After all, Madeline and Jack Fenton were under the impression that they were the ones who sent the ghosts back from whence they came.

Madeline and Jack Fenton were thought of as jokes in the beginning for building the ghost portal that gave Danny his powers. The town called them crazy and various other names that the teen did not like to think about. But as soon as the portal began to function and unleash ghosts into Amity Park accidentally, the town quickly changed their tune. All the people who categorized the Fenton family as freaks were eating their poisonous words. Unfortunately, it was not because of his parents.

As much as they liked to believe their contribution was kicking these ghost's butts, it was not true. When Danny made the crucial decision to use his powers to ward off evil spirits from the proverbial Land of the Dead, things started changing. More and more ghosts gossiped over the existence of a second halfa and as quickly as the teen got his powers, they gathered to sample a taste as to what the new creation could do… Considering the reputation of the first halfa!

Danny's mood darkened further at the thought of Vlad Plasmius. In the human world he was known as the powerful Vlad Masters, multi-billionaire with a very profitable market in selling human and ghost weaponry. The man was in the public eye twenty-four seven with news of his ever-popular inventions spreading amongst the ghost hunting community. But not even his most intimate of buyers knew the man's true nature.

The teen slammed the key to open his front door a little harder than was necessary and forced his way into his home. Danny angrily threw his backpack off his shoulders and with a good kick abandoned it, choosing to run upstairs to the solitude of his room.

Familiar sounds of shattering beakers and the shouts of his mother could be heard from the basement laboratory before the teen closed his door. The noise of active inventions instantly went away and suddenly feeling the extent of his exhaustion, Danny flopped onto his bed, kicking off his shoes in the process.

Danny closed his eyes to rest when the thought of Vlad Masters pervaded his brain again. From the beginning, the multi-billionaire did everything he could to bring young Daniel Fenton over to the dark side in order to use his powers for nefarious purposes against his father.

Firmly on the side of good, the boy wanted no part of evil, especially when it involved his father.

However, Vlad was well past the point of morality. Having been harmed in an experiment in college that gave the man his ghost powers and ultimately keeping him from pursuing Danny's mother, the older man was out for blood. He would stop at nothing to see that Jack Fenton died a slow and very painful death; after the death, the man was set on marrying his stolen love, Madeline Fenton, and having Daniel (and his sister, Jazz) join his side.

The moment the halfa revealed his evil plan, Daniel Fenton knew that it was his number one job, second to ghost hunting, to make sure that his family stayed intact. Only when Hell froze over would Vlad shatter his whole world.

With this promise in mind, the tired teenager forgot all about his enemies. Spending his time thinking about them was worse than breaking his neck to stop them from destroying humanity.

However, speaking of enemies, he thought back to his school day and cringed.

If it was not enough that the boy faced three ghosts and was seriously bruised, he accidentally ran into Dash, the known school bully, sprinting on the way to class to beat the late bell.

As was the blonde brute's nature, Dash spared no mercy. Lifting him fully by the collar, Danny was slammed unceremoniously into a locker, bumping his head and managing to injure his hand against the hard, yet tired, steel of Casper High's lockers.

The teen remembered the laughter afterward all too well. This was what spawned his carefully contained anger. From there, the boy's day tanked drastically.

Danny glanced at his hand as if it were its fault. The black bruise that clouded the knuckle only hours beforehand was now turning a greenish yellow, a sign that his healing powers were doing their job. It was thanks to this ability that he did not come in every night with broken limbs and horror movie gashes ripped through his pale flesh.

Despite all this, his parents failed to notice the extensive injuries he walked in the door with.

The only ones who were privy to his battle wounds were Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. Friends practically since birth, it was the two of them who were in the laboratory the day Danny received his powers. Since then, they were fully invested in helping Danny in whatever way they could, whether it was wrapping ace bandage around a serious flesh wound or helping him in combat.

This was the one thing Danny Fenton loathed entirely. Sam and Tucker by now were used to sneaking into the Fenton's basement and stealing ghost weapons from their carefully secured weapons vault. They learned rapidly how to use the weapons, although Sam was a much better shot than Tucker, and joined the battles whenever things looked too hairy for the veteran superhero—something that made the teen's stomach knot.

Danny would never say to his friends that they could not help because, for one: Sam was too stubborn to acknowledge the fact that she was a mere human and could get hurt, and two: as much as he hated admitting it to himself, their being involved practically saved his life.

It was the fear of one of them getting hurt, however, that made Danny lay awake at night thinking of how easy it would be for a ghost to swoop down and injure Sam or Tucker.

A ghost did not think twice about killing humans if it meant getting to Danny, and if something ever happened to either of them, he could never forgive himself.

But because of their determination and hard headedness, the two of them dove into the fray whenever things were needed, Danny's fears be damned.

And speaking of his friends… The teen had not talked to either Sam or Tucker the whole day. He might have sat with them at lunch and walked with them to class, but that did not necessarily mean that his mind was physically with them.

Danny tapped on the track pad of his laptop and double-clicked on the link leading to his video chat room. Clicking on Sam and Tucker's names and making the chat private, the teen was greeted with dual images on either side of his screen.

Sam was the first one to appear. To his amusement, the Goth sat in front of her computer with her ends of her hair thickly wrapped in foils.

Tucker popped onto the screen next and Danny let out a low laugh at seeing the dark skinned boy engrossed in his new PDA.

Sam was the first to speak. "Hey you," she said warmly, "I was wondering when you would appear on chat."

"The minute I stopped pitying my existence, I came right on."

Sam's eyes became very soft, almost sad. "I heard about your bad day today—Dash was gloating to Paulina as we were walking out of school…"

At seeing the darkness infiltrate the boy's newly warm expression, Sam piped: "Seriously Danny, don't worry about it. Dash is a moron and uses his brute strength to quiet his inner demons raging against his own mind."

From the other side of the screen, Tucker made a grunt of approval. Sam, her eyes seeing Tucker not at all paying attention to the conversation, used two fingers to cat call.

With a startled cry, the African-American teenager tumbled head first from his computer chair.

Both Danny and Sam shared a chuckle as they witnessed Tucker sit back down in his chair heavily and fix his disgruntled glasses, which were balanced sideways from his nose.

"Hi to you too, guys," Tucker grumbled.

Sam rolled her heavily made up eyes. "Thanks for joining us, Tuck. Now, I was talking about how pigheaded Dash is. Care to add to this?"

All three teens talked about Dash and what insecurity they thought the bully had.

The trio was about to lapse into a conversation about how long it would take for Paulina to leave Dash when an icy tendril extended from Danny's lips.

Danny felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in warning. Whatever ghost it was, the halfa could feel the power that was pulsing from the entity like a heartbeat.

Friendly blue eyes changed right before his friend's faces as they looked on from the safety of their rooms.

A bright white ring formed from the halfa's middle and extended upward and downward so as to bathe his body in an ethereal glow. Sam and Tucker shied away from their screens, the intensity of the light making their eyes overflow with tears.

Seconds passed and the light faded. In its place was Danny Fenton, but changed drastically. Blue eyes green and hair as dark as pitch now as white as freshly fallen snow, Danny Phantom pulsed with a powerful, yet comforting light.

His two friends whooped in a show of support and slight sarcasm.

Calmness settled over the halfa as he made his legs taut so as to leap in the air, when he paused.

Something was off by the way this ghost felt. The power source coming from this entity was strong, there was no doubt, but at the same time, the boy, focusing, felt fragility as well. Surely no ghost could have such a weak core.

The duo on the computer must have seen his hesitation because they were immediately launching questions at him.

"Who is it?" and "How strong is it?" distracted him and becoming overwhelmed, Daniel shushed his friends.

"Guys, be quiet for a second. Something feels wrong."

Sam and Tucker stayed quiet while Danny focused all of his spectral energy into recognizing the energy. Minutes passed before the boy's eyes opened wide.

His eyes, so confident before his transformation, were appalled; the young teen's mouth shaped into an astonished expression and just as quickly morphed into something furious.

Danny could identify the energy and his eyes ached with the force of their fiery glow.

Because Vlad Plasmius was headed in the Fenton's direction and knowing the man all too well, the teen knew that the man had something wicked hidden up his sleeve.

The hybrid quickly filled his friends in on who the ghost was; Tucker was outraged and Sam looked murderous as she shook her head in aggravation.

"I don't like this, Danny. Plasmius hasn't showed up on your turf in forever and now suddenly he's heading this way? Something is up."

"Yeah, dude," Tucker replied, "no way is he coming here without some evil scheme involved. It's time to beat him down before he can even carry out whatever nefarious plot he has planned!"

"You bet. I am going to take this fruit loop down once and for all, even if it means tearing down this whole town to do so!"

This decree was met with a mighty exultation of hoots and hollers.

His smile was disarming as he pictured Plasmius stepping into his home and trying to start something. No matter what it took, come broken bones or busted up buildings, the halfa was determined to send a very clear—and painful—message to his enemy.

Vlad Plasmius would regret showing his face at the Fenton's tonight.

* * *

><p>Jack Fenton was practically breathing down his wife's neck as she hurried around the kitchen, preparing dinner for their guest's arrival.<p>

The entire day was filled with the large husband and father of two talking about the plans he was going to carry out the minute his old college friend, Vlad Masters, arrived at their door. Maddie, who had been privy to this conversation the whole day resisted the urge to snap.

She knew very well how much her husband loved Vlad Masters and was happy to see him in such a good mood. However, that did not mean that she was exactly celebrating the man's presence in her house that evening.

Maddie Fenton never would admit this out loud to her husband, but having the billionaire over for dinner was hardly worth the excitement.

She already knew how the evening would go and while she did not want to crush her husband's high spirits, Maddie said, "Jack, you've told me this eighteen times, sweetheart."

Not at all fazed by the announcement, the heavyset man grabbed a piece of fudge and chewed at it with glazed eyes, hardly able to keep from smiling.

"I know, Maddie-kins, but I'm just so excited to see V-Man!"

Maddie was glad her back was turned or else her husband would have seen her eyes roll.

Although her husband was unable to see the intentions of their old college friend, the matriarch saw right through him. Of course it was not as much as her son or even her daughter did, but between the passes the billionaire made toward her and the way he ignored all attempts made by Jack at small talk, the woman knew enough.

Vlad was not the sweet boy he was in college and his attitude did not make him welcome in the Fenton home. But she could not exactly voice this to anyone, so she kept quiet about her disdain for Vlad Masters while her husband rattled off memories of the "good old days."

Maddie busied herself with layering lasagna noodles at the bottom of a greased sheet pan. She focused all her attention at stacking the thin squares of pasta with steaming tomato sauce and mozzarella; her kids loved this recipe and she figured this would be a bargaining tool for the evening they were soon to have.

After all, the mother of two may not be the smartest knife in the drawer but she was semi-aware of just how much her children disliked the man, especially Daniel. There was always an animosity that went on between her youngest son and Vlad and at first, before she discovered the man's intentions, thought that they were engaging in witty banter. But lately there seemed to be a cutting edge to their conversations, something that made the scientist very uneasy.

Not that Jack ever noticed. He was too busy talking and eating to pay much attention to how their son handled the man's presence.

Sighing to herself, Maddie finished off the perfectly formed lasagna with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and stuck it in the oven to bake.

Confident that she her face gave nothing away, she turned toward her husband. Without realizing it, so lost in thought was she, Jack had been talking to her while she was making dinner.

She felt guilty and crossing to her husband, gave him a gentle kiss. "Tonight will be great. Don't sweat it so much. I'm sure whatever you choose to do with Vlad is perfect."

To herself, the mother muttered, "Not that Vlad will notice. He might be too busy flirting with me to listen to my husband."

"What's that Mads?" Jack asked curiously, choosing his third piece of fudge from the tower of sweets and stuffing the whole square in his mouth.

Startled but keeping a straight face, Maddie replied, "Nothing dear, I was just wondering to myself if Danny got home yet. It's already seven-thirty."

Jack stood to his full height and for a man of his size, placed a tender hand on his wife's shoulder. "You tell me not to worry so much when you are worse than I am," Jack supplied with a low chuckle, pecking her on the lips. "I heard Danny come in not too long ago. He ran up to his room. I think he was in a bit of a bad mood."

This was not news to his mother. Her son was always irritable when it came to anything to do with coming out of his room. At first, the woman thought that it was hormones, as after all, her son was at the age where things started to progress; but nearly two years had passed and still her son was annoyed all the time, even at small things.

Maddie was scared at how mad her son always seemed to be. Even Jasmine, her eldest daughter who was studying to become a psychologist, refused to say anything in regards to how her son behaved. It was as if her daughter became accustomed to his erratic behavior, and surely having the billionaire, much hated by her son, over for dinner, would make things worse.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Perhaps she should cancel their dinner plans for the evening, meet at a restaurant without her teenagers.

_You can't do that_, she thought, _Jack is riding on Vlad showing up tonight._

So dinner would consist of stony silences, her husband trying hard to impress a man who made no plans on acknowledging the effort, and glares shared amongst her son and their guest.

And Maddie and her daughter Jasmine were going to be caught in the middle, uncomfortable witnesses.

The matriarch was ready to voice her opinion to Jack that she thought Danny may be content to go to one of his friend's house and be away from Vlad when their doorbell sounded.

It was too late to try and defuse the potential situation that was soon to come and forcing her face into a somewhat happy one, she and Jack answered the door.

* * *

><p>Hooting and hollering was still going on when the doorbell to the Fentons echoed in Daniel Fenton's ears.<p>

The room became very still and the trio's faces were adorned with a mixture of trepidation for their dark haired friend and ferocity at the foe that was standing just outside the Fenton household, no doubt looking to execute some evil scheme.

Sam was the first to say anything. "Remember, Danny: Plasmius is strong but you're good and good always triumphs over evil."

"You've beaten him before, man," Tucker chimed. He wore the most serious look Danny had seen thus far in their video chat. "So you can send his fruit loop butt crawling back to Wisconsin again!"

The duo was well aware of the threat their third best friend was readying to face, and on the inside were praying that all would go swimmingly for him.

Vlad may have been beaten by the skin of Danny's teeth every time, but that did not mean that the older villain did not hold an advantage this time.

Squaring his shoulders and bidding a confident and furious farewell to his friends, the hybrid disconnected from his video chat and climbing out the window, sat at the edge of the op-center.

The op-center was attached to the Fenton's rooftop, a whole headquarters stocked with ghost hunting weapons and trackers; the spaceship-like contraption was used in extreme emergencies… and had the best view of Amity Park from its highest perch.

Danny saw a white ponytail standing at his door and knowing to play it cool until pushed to do so otherwise, he phased back into his bedroom and turned human.

He heard the front door open and was greeted with the sound of his father's booming voice and, sending goose bumps up his skin, the cool vibrato of Vlad Masters. The teen heard his mother greet the visitor in a much more casual tone.

However, hidden beneath her voice was distaste and the halfa was delighted to know that his mother was not buying his gentlemanly façade.

Danny came from his room after pleasantries amongst his parents were exchanged and for a moment, stood at the top of the stairs, watching his enemy lock eyes with his mother and completely tune out his father, who was talking a million miles a minute in an attempt to get his college best friend's attention. The teen felt a pang of guilt for his dad but stifled it quickly.

The teen descended the stairs loudly so as to make his presence known. "V-Man!" he bellowed, running down the last few steps so as to barrel into the man. "How's it going? We haven't seen you in a while!"

"Yes," Vlad replied. His enemies' smile was kind but deep within his eyes, darkness stirred. "I have been ever so busy with work."

Jack slapped his friend on the back, causing Vlad to stumble a few steps forward. Danny stifled a snigger and to his chagrin, was met with the invisible pain of nails digging into his arm. Moving his eyes downward but still keeping a careful face, he saw Vlad's fingers clutching onto the younger boy's skin, the skin whitening except for the spots where his nails curled inward.

"I can't believe you're here at last! Do you know how long it's been since we've reminisced about the good old days? V-Man, you're in for a treat," Jack laughed happily. "Wait until you see the photo albums I dug up! They're priceless!"

Danny watched Vlad's mouth purse in a thin line as if to show that he would rather do something else, anything else, than look through old photos with whom he now intended to obliterate profoundly.

Maddie seemingly caught onto this because Danny's head turned to his mother who declared with an edge to her voice, "Oh Jack, I bet Vlad doesn't want to look at college yearbooks all night. I'm sure he's famished from a long day at work."

Vlad's face lit up. "Why of course, my dear. Any cooking of yours is sure to cause ravenous behavior. Do you require any help in the kitchen?"

Danny growled out of the corner of his lips, "Very nice, Plasmius. Trying to win my mom over by wearing my dad's apron? It's purple with orange stripes."

"No, Vlad, no help is necessary. I'm just going to finish preparing the salad and take the lasagna out of the oven."

With that, Maddie took off for the kitchen. Danny thought she moved a little too quickly away.

The evil man's pupils dilated red in his direction for a fraction of an instant before Danny was suddenly and unceremoniously pushed aside. Danny was going to retaliate when he was made aware of his father's eyes watching their interaction funnily and stopped.

His father may think they're playing now but once his son launched for his friend's jugular, even the teen doubted his father would deny the animosity going on between them.

Dinner was ready fifteen minutes later and was set upon the table looking delicious. Danny's mother's lasagna, piping hot with savory marina sauce and too-perfect melted cheese made everyone at the table glutinous.

Everyone helped themselves to a bit of salad and a thick slice of lasagna before they were happily eating. Every so often, Danny chose to see what his predecessor was doing.

It turned out that Vlad's eyes, no matter when the teen avoided his gaze, was always staring at him.

The look in his hateful eyes was one that taunted the other halfa to attack and a couple of times, Danny had to stuff an overly large bite into his mouth to keep witty banter at bay.

At seeing this, Vlad said, "My, my, someone is hungry. Your cooking is delicious, Madeline. I might steal the recipe from you before I leave this evening."

Maddie cleared her throat uncomfortably. "You can find the recipe on the back of a box of lasagna noodles. The preparation of ingredients to build the whole thing took longer to assemble than the lasagna itself… Really, don't be so impressed."

Despite his mother's words, the teen saw light play across the elder halfa's eyes. He admired her so blatantly that if Jack Fenton was not so busy babbling away and fixing himself a third helping, he would have said something.

The amount of adulation Vlad Masters poured onto his married mother was sickening and Danny kept his gaze away from his nemesis for the rest of the meal, only half listening to how his father tried to get his friend's attention and how Vlad spurned it, choosing to hit on his mom.

Once dinner dishes were loaded and all five of them retired in the living room for coffee did Vlad's behavior really become awful.

Vlad used every chance he got to torture and unnerve the young boy who, unfortunately due to bad seating arrangement, was harangued into sitting next to him.

As hard as Daniel Fenton tried to keep his face stony, rage made his eyes flash every so often and that was enough to let his parents know, even without seeing the color change in his eyes, that things were uncomfortable. Still Vlad pretended like nothing was wrong and started small chat with his older sister.

Things carried on like this for some time before his arch nemeses' phone chirruped in the middle of coffee.

Vlad flashed Danny's mom an apologetic smile before stepping back into the foyer to take the call. Maddie and Danny, along with his eldest sister, Jazz, seemed to relax their shoulders a little more while Jack just continued to gush about how good it was to see his old "buddy."

Danny heard: "Hello, Vlad Masters speaking."

The man was probably talking to someone at one of his businesses and suddenly Danny was struck with a brilliant idea.

"Hey guys," he said to his parents, "I'm going to go upstairs and get my phone from the charger. Be right back, okay?"

Both parents and sister smiled and nodded at him and went back to whatever miniature conversation they were having while waiting for their guest to come back. Once going into the foyer, his family would not be able to see him and that was the perfect time to carry out his plan.

Danny entered the foyer silently. Vlad Masters was talking on the phone silently and the younger halfa was absolutely over the moon to hear his arch-nemesis sound so angry. This was the ideal moment to mess with the eldest halfa, to make him snap and have his father and mother see just how maliciously Vlad acted towards their son.

Letting electric green flames crawl up his wrist, Danny tiptoed closer to Vlad. The smile on his face was practically tearing his cheeks apart, his teeth flashing in the light near the door.

When the teen was close enough to Vlad and sure that the man was too distracted to notice what was sure to be the sizzle of his ghost sense, the boy held back a snigger as he thrust his hand violently forward into the man's back.

Danny was unable to control his mirth any longer and burst into hysterical laughter as his foe jumped what was perhaps three feet in the air, dropping his phone and yipping in the process.

The teenager only laughed harder, and as a result stuffed his fist into his mouth to keep from alerting his parents as to what was going on. Eyes closed and tears of laughter leaking from the corners of his eyes, Danny did not know that the elder halfa was descending upon him until he felt a crushing blow to his throat.

Vlad was holding the halfa with incredible strength and this time, the man's eyes were glowing the color of freshly spilt blood. His teeth were bared, looking sharper than daggers, and as well as anger toward being manhandled in such a way, Danny had to admit he was scared as well.

Voice hoarse from the pure unadulterated fury the man felt, he sent fresh spittle all over the boy's face as he growled out, "How dare you sneak up on me like that, you little cretin!"


	5. Chapter Four:  Fighting and Fleeing

**Yes, I have updated quicker. I daresay that most of you are shocked. Ha, I know that I ordinarily take a couple of months, but now that I am interruption free (for now anyway), the chapters will be coming at a steadier pace… **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Fighting and Fleeing<strong>

Vlad Masters was assaulted by a fiery force at the base of his back, sending him stumbling forward. His phone crashed to the ground as a result, keeping him from hearing what the person at the other end of the line was about to say. Upon inspection, the man saw that his screen spider webbed outward, unreadable.

Hands pulsating with energy the color of blood to match his glare, the billionaire pivoted around. Daniel was rolling around on the ground with laughter. He was holding his stomach with one hand while with the other, he wiped away the tears of mirth that leaked out of the corners of his eyes.

Having waited all evening to get hold of the urchin that was the youngest Fenton child, the halfa wasted no time. Briefly looking at the entrance to the living room, Vlad swept down upon Danny and swung him into the air by his neck, spitting: "How dare you sneak up on me, you little cretin!"

In response, Danny clawed at the hand that applied such pressure to his gullet, but to no avail. The man's hold was just too tight, unwilling to yield. His face became the color of a grape before Vlad, not wanting to draw attention with an unconscious teen, finally let the teen fall. The boy coughed gutturally, wheezing heavily while massaging the rising bruise around his neck with shaky fingers.

Daniel took no time to recover from the assault, though, because all too quickly the boy was in the air, his hands outstretched. Vlad saw that Daniel intended on attacking him in the same manner, and acting fast, the billionaire summoned a ball of crackling flame into the palm of his hand and fired. The ball hit him in the chest, throwing the boy from his position a few feet away from Vlad into the air and onto the ground with a painful thud.

"Daniel, do you really think that the best way of delivering an attack is by letting your adversary know it's coming?" Vlad taunted.

The teen got to his feet again, much faster than was anticipated and resulted with the billionaire getting knocked onto his back by the swipe of Daniel's leg. Shock rippled up and down his body, the man having to blink a few times for his vision to focus. Daniel was standing above him, his arms crossed in triumph.

However, the boy did not know how truly temporary that feeling was. But he bided his time. Though he was in a hurry to squash the little bug, he wanted to draw the moment out so as to savor it.

"How was that, Plasmius? Did I act quickly enough? Did you see it coming?"

From his position on the floor, he spat, "I must admit boy, that was a very good shot. Now let's see how you fare against _my_ surprise attacks."

Dim-witted, Daniel screwed his face confusedly… only to open his eyes wide with realization just as an ectoblast sent him flying up the stairs. Vlad got up quickly enough to watch the boy's landing and flinched slightly when the clatter of his fall made the house shake.

Vlad peaked his face into the living room to see Jack and Maddie staring wide-eyed. "Oh don't mind the noise! Daniel is retrieving something from his room to show me and I suppose he tripped over his own feet. Teenagers are such clumsy beings. I'll go check on him!"

Retracting from the open doorway, the hybrid sprinted up the steps to the second floor, his footsteps soundless.

Daniel was propped against the wall directly across from the staircase, his arm at an awkward angle in his lap. The boy's eyes were glazed over from the blow he took to the back of his head upon impact, and his eyes became more and more cross-eyed as Vlad neared closer to his sore form.

Feeling the adrenaline and blood lust rising in his system at the sight of the boy in such a position, he took a fistful of the boy's dark hair and pulled his head backward, stretching his neck in a seemingly biologically unattainable position. The boy, Vlad saw, was doing his best to shoo away the daze he was in, trying to fight back… or at least not to show his pain. However, Daniel's eyes were squinted in agony at his hair being yanked so violently from the root.

"Oh tut tut, Daniel. Here I am in your house, on your turf as it goes, and by merely knocking you about and shooting you twice, you are at my mercy. It astounds me how weak you are after how long you have had your powers… It alarms me, actually..."

Daniel hissed, "Don't worry on my behalf, Plasmius. As I see it, I'm doing better than you are."

Vlad lashed out with his foot and planted a solid kick to the teen's ribs at his insolence. Daniel doubled over in agony, stifling his scream with his fist. All that he let slip was a low groan, panting from the blow. The halfa was confident he broke a few of his ribs.

"Mind your manners, little badger. You would not want your parents to know just how rude you are being to your _guest_. Interrupting someone when they are talking is most disrespectful and I do not tolerate disrespect. Sit and listen, and perhaps I will lighten your beating…"

"Now," he started anew, smiling ferociously at the trapped nuisance. "As I was saying—I am most alarmed that you have not yet mastered the instinct and speed of the basic fighting skills necessary for the kind of combat you engage in. Surely you must want to defend yourself. I cannot imagine that crashing into buildings is your idea of fun, although you _are _a teenager with reckless taste.

"Allow me to teach you, dear boy! Think of how much your power will improve if you were to live with me, to join my side. You will be twice as fast, three times as strong; you will no longer experience the dreadful feeling of broken bones and cut flesh after a ghost fight. My little badger, you will be unscathed, _untouchable_! Isn't that not what you want?"

Daniel directed his gaze away from Vlad, his jaw tightly set.

Vlad crouched down to the boy's level and seized him by the face, turning his eyes so that they trained solidly on him. The teen was panting with anger and pain, the both of them intermingling to form acid pumping through his heart.

The older halfa knew that look well. He became a pro at concealing it but suffered from the blinding hatred he saw in Daniel's eyes all the same. If he was being honest, seeing the teen halfa in a rage that matched his made him gloat on the inside. To know he created such an upset simply by throwing the boy around a bit complimented his inflated ego.

Taking a deep breath, Danny seethed, "I want nothing to do with you or your fruit loop training, no matter how better of a fighter it makes me. Stay away from me and most of all, _stay away from my family_!"

Danny Fenton was too quick this time. Using his lit palms to shove the man out of his crouch and away from him, Daniel pounced from his weak spot on the floor and managed to deck him across the jaw. There was no time to reel from the attack however, because Vlad's eyes became bright with white hot energy. Beams of red shot from his eyes, nicking Danny in the shins and toppling him over, his already bruised body slamming into the wall directly next to the entrance to his room.

Picking up his adversary by the collar of his ratty t-shirt, Vlad threw Daniel through the air into his room. A resounding crash that made Vlad cringe echoed through the house as the boy landed unceremoniously onto his nightstand, knocking over his alarm clock and a glass lying on its surface, still partially filled with some sort of cola.

Vlad cleaned himself up as best as he could, straightening out his designer tuxedo with his hands. He righted his appearance just in time for Jack and Madeline, followed by a weary Jasmine, to run into the room. While Jack simply looked curious, Maddie was more than alarmed.

"What on earth is going on up there, Vlad?" Maddie asked incredulously. "It sounds like you two are fighting up there!"

His mask of ease wiped out any other emotion on his face as he replied, "Oh the boy and I were engaged in a good wrestling match. You know how much I love to challenge my nephew, both mentally _and_ physically!"

By the look on his love's face, she was buying no part of it. Vlad knew that if she climbed the stairs and were to look in her son's room that there would be hell to pay. He needed to persuade her into thinking that everything she heard was right, but change up the situation so that she was not so alarmed by it, no matter how bad it sounded.

Jack Fenton was smiling like an idiot, as usual, no doubt thrilled that his college "friend" and son were roughhousing good-naturedly. At least the billionaire knew he blindsided one person. Jasmine, of course, was not going to say anything, as she was bound to protect her brother's secret, which tied her to his secrets as well. All that was left was convincing Madeline.

He watched as her eyebrows relaxed slightly. She was a smart woman and even if she chose not to believe the man's story, he was confident that she would deny her instincts.

His theory proved right as Maddie sighed, "Well alright, but no more of that, please. I have a nice Bundt cake for everyone to enjoy with coffee, and I'd like you to try something not so… brutish if you don't mind…" Maddie, leaning to the side as if to call around Vlad, called, "Danny, are you alright, sweetheart? Cake is downstairs!"

Unease made his heart skip a beat. In his hurry to compose his appearance, the halfa had forgotten to check if Daniel were in a fit state to present himself in a fit state to his family.

Vlad held his breath for several seconds, panic making his eyes dart up the stairs and to the mother's concerned glower up the stairs.

Thankfully Daniel walked out from his room, smiling. "I'm okay, mom. _Uncle Vlad_ and I were just horsing around. Right, Uncle?"

"See, Madeline, we were having some fun! Now, let's all adjourn to the dining room. I for one do not want to pass up dessert, do you Daniel?"

"No, Vlad," Daniel replied monotonously. The hybrid saw venom in the young boy's eyes as he said, "Dessert sounds excellent."

Vlad watched as Madeline looked closely at her son, and seeming to think Danny was unharmed from their "horseplay," headed to the kitchen to assemble plates and mugs.

He waited several moments to make sure the mother of two was indeed back in the kitchen before turning back to Daniel. While his mother was in the room, Daniel had pretended to be just fine. Now, though, the boy was clearly in a great deal of pain from being thrown around in such a way.

Not to mention, the older hybrid was well aware that his kick to the child's chest resulted in broken ribs. Danny was breathing shallowly, as any slight movement from his chest made the boy whimper pathetically.

If Vlad Masters was any other man, he would have felt terribly guilty at what he did. But because the man was as cold as he was and had meant to cause the blue-eyed teenager pain, all he did was smirk. Daniel looked down at him with hate-filled eyes, the only thing he could do to show his enemy just how much he despised him.

"I believe your mother is waiting for us, little badger. I suggest you get a hold of yourself before you see her," the man told offhandedly as he walked down the stairs.

Vlad did not look back as he descended the stairs two at a time. The power he felt in his heart—in his bones!—was extraordinary; this was just the kick that Vlad Masters needed to rejuvenate his body and mind, and as he preceded to the dining room for coffee, his impending anniversary and self-doubt were all but forgotten.

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><p>Danny Fenton was no stranger to broken ribs. He suffered enough injuries from ghost fighting to know the distinction between bruising and broken bones. The sharp pain that plagued his left side clued him in to the fact that the injury he sustained just might be the case, and coaxing his flimsy t-shirt with the arm on the opposite side of his injury, he saw with a combination of fury and dread that the left side of his chest was purpling rapidly.<p>

The boy moved his arm the tiniest bit and was awarded with an unbelievable fire radiating from the left side of his chest, up to his shoulder. He lowered his fragile body to his bed carefully, the only thing that was unaffected by the fight he got into with Vlad, and lowered his head onto his pillow, panting.

He could not believe that he allowed the man to bully him like that, especially in his own house! Of course, the young hybrid could not say he was surprised at how fast Vlad attacked him. It was clear from the moment the man arrived that he meant to cause trouble; coupled with the simple fact that they were enemies, and their hostility towards each other exploded… However, the only one who was really affected was Danny.

While Danny was lying in bed with broken ribs and a throbbing scalp, that _fruit loop_ was downstairs with not even a scratch on him, schmoozing to his mom. Sure the boy had managed a few surprise hits on the other hybrid, but those blasts created no real lasting damage…

_Ugh_! The hybrid would have chosen to throw something in his already ruined room if he had not remembered that his left ribcage was broken. So, not being able to take out his anger physically, Danny settled on glaring at his ceiling instead.

Even with his door closed, the boy heard Vlad talking downstairs, followed by the questioning tone of his mom. By the way the guy was acting, it was as if he had never even gotten in a fight and beaten down a sixteen year old in the first place…

Yeah, the teen did not expect Vlad to care, but what irked him so badly was the fact that no one knew just how psychotic he was—the man was truly a master at fooling everyone!

Just once Danny wanted to see Vlad Masters get what was coming to him. All the people he hurt and all the crimes he committed could not go unnoticed for much longer. The teen wanted his true colors to be revealed once and for all.

This last though calmed the young hybrid substantially. His scowl aimed toward his ceiling relaxed, leaving only the slight look of annoyance at the pain he felt on his left side still. The boy knew that he would need at least three to four hours for his ghost powers to completely heal over his ribs, but that did not mean that human means of medicine could not be used. And being careful to not further harm himself, Danny pushed himself into a sitting position, all the while stifling a cry, and reached for the top drawer of his nightstand, which happened to be smashed in as a result of his flying into it before.

Not even bothering to keep the drawer intact, Danny pulled it open and allowed the piece of wood to fall apart on the ground, the first-aid kit and pain reliever dropping on the ground.

The boy popped three pain relievers in his mouth and reached for the water bottle resting on his desk. He knocked the water back and managed to swallow the medicine before his mom called, "Danny, are you alright, sweetheart? Cake is downstairs!"

In surprise at his mother suddenly calling for him, Danny jumped up… only to yip in pain as he realized his mistake. If his left side had been burning before, it was smoking now. The young hybrid leaned against the wall to steady his intake of breath, knowing that the combination of exertion and deep intake of breath was going to make things worse.

Danny felt the seconds tick on as his sharp agony faded into a dull throb. He was aware of how long he was taking to answer his mother as well, and knew that Vlad was probably having an aneurism at his mom potentially finding out what happened.

Smiling at the image, the boy pushed off his wall gently and composed his expression to one of ease as his parents and sister… and Vlad came into view. And seeing that he indeed had caused unease in the man's heart, his mirth grew.

His mom, at seeing her son was "fine," invited the two hybrids to come into the dining room for cake and more coffee. The two hybrids agreed to come into the dining room, and his mom being satisfied, walked back into the kitchen to get utensils.

It was only after she disappeared from view that Danny let a hiss slide from between his teeth. By walking to the top of the stairs and standing for a couple of minutes, he further agitated his hurt chest. And at seeing Vlad smiling up at him condescendingly, the hybrid shot Vlad a look that could kill.

Vlad merely smirked at the glare and finished walking down the stairs, before walking away, not looking back.

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><p>Vlad was on such a high after effectively beating down Daniel that he failed to realize he was alone in the dining room with Jack.<p>

What ended up alerting him to his awkward situation was the large smack he received to his back. The blow sent his body into the dining room table, and his eyes momentarily flashed before they went back to their original color, becoming glacial. An urge to send the fat oaf through his living room wall made his ears ring, but the urge faded away when Maddie entered the dining room, her miniscule hands holding large, scorching mugs of coffee.

He gratefully accepted a cup from the woman's hands, his fingers brushing with hers in doing so. An electric shock passed up his arm with the touch and he hid his apparent blush by pouring milk and sugar into the intoxicating brew as preferred.

Swallowing a few mouthfuls of what he found was instant coffee, his attention turned to Jack when the man bellowed, "It's so good to have you here, V-Man! I really missed you!"

Bile rose from his stomach as Vlad forced out the words "I miss you too" as convincingly as possible. And though Vlad did not sound all too sincere, Jack smiled at him before shoveling a large chunk of Maddie's cake into his gob.

Vlad averted his eyes, feeling ill at the sight. But the large man pressed on. "How's work lately, Vlad? Busy?"

"Very much so, yes," Vlad replied, though his eyes were to Maddie, not to her husband. "I've been working tooth and nail to put upgrades of my old weapons on the market; one of which happens to be an improved line of my flamethrowers."

This time it was Maddie who spoke, and the man was happy to hear she sounded interested as she exclaimed, "Really?! You're _upgrading those_?"

"Moderately so. You see—while the flamethrowers are pulling in a significant sum from the military, I feel that these weapons can be vastly improved upon…" Vlad smiled at Maddie, who was now seated at the table with her own coffee. She and Jack were paying rapt attention.

"The old models were created to create fire by simply igniting a spark in a barrel at the back of the weapon, which is filled with fuel. What I and my team are working on now is to program the flamethrowers to automatically refuel the gasoline with canisters that are lightweight and that can be carried anywhere, as well as being embedded with tracking chips that can pinpoint targets to minimalize accidents. This technology, in theory, could very well ensure the safety of our troops when used correctly…"

"That's… well, it's _genius_!" Maddie commented in hushed amazement. "Just imagine how efficient those weapons will be when army men are dealing with terrorists and the like!"

Jack's voice matched his wife's: "And you said that whoever uses them is one-hundred percent protected because of the computer device inside the weapon itself?!"

Though Vlad felt no inclination to answer Jack, it would be dishonest to say he did not enjoy talking about his business—namely his elite inventions. That was to say the human ones. Jack and Maddie were unaware of his dealings with ghost hunters and ghosts. If they were, the man had no doubts that Jack would try and get his hands on his products and try to improve them.

But as he was talking about the normal flamethrowers that his company produced, he was captivated by the light that shined in his love's eyes. That look alone made him want to talk forever, and combined with the satisfaction he felt at making Jack and his weapons look inferior compared to his, and that was enough of an incentive to answer the hazmat-suited man's question.

"If my calculations are correct, than the one who has control of the flamethrower, namely one of our soldiers, can operate the weapon and not feel frightened at possibly making an error that will send him up in flames. The chip will be programmed by my company and further by the weapons department of the military to target those who are causing havoc in the Middle East. With that being said, if the weapons were to fall into the wrong hands, the weapon will self-detonate at the signature of whoever has it is emitting. Of course my team would have to work out the kinks, but my scientists are very good about—"

A sudden vibration buzzed through his jacket, interrupting his showboating. And fishing the broken phone out of his pocket, he minded the shattered glass screen as he swiped his finger across it to answer the call.

The call, surprisingly, came from his automated security system.

It was Vlad himself who designed it, making his companies' safety the rarest in the world, and it was this system now that made his brow furrow in concern.

"_Intruder sensed on third floor, sector twelve, file room. Requesting police assistance—shall I initiate total lock-down, sir?_"

Subconsciously, Vlad rose up from his chair. He failed to notice the curious looks Jack and Maddie were sending him. The man's mind was screaming at him to say something, to do anything!

"Initiate total building and mainframe shutdown. Await further reply!" he called into his phone. The pressure he applied to the phone further cracked the screen.

Vlad was practically hyperventilating with the fury he felt, causing his ghostly strength to make an unwilling cameo appearance. No one broke in, let alone stole from him, without being properly punished! And that was exactly what he was going to do to whatever hooligans were fool enough to mess with a half ghost with a lot of money!

"Thank you so much for having me," he yelled over his shoulder, already at the door. "Urgent matter to attend to—call you sometime this week!"

Jack and Maddie barely had time to process what was going on before Vlad was out the door and in his car.

The billionaire did not recognize that he almost collided with the assault vehicle as he hastily pulled out of the Fenton driveway. He was already up the street before anything registered in his frazzled mind, and all that happened to be was the hope that he and the police were going to get to the intruders in time.

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><p><strong>A lot quicker update, however short it is! What did you think of Vlad and Danny's miniature face-off? Too little, too much?<strong>

**I really planned ahead and had this chapter in one of my many notebooks, ready for me to type out and edit whenever I was done. Thank God for this notebook, or else it might have taken a little longer cranking this baby out. **

**I am aware that this chapter is a lot shorter than the last one (by 3 pages actually) but it's kind of fitting that this chapter is the way it is, because the next chapter has a lot to get through, and I need you to be ready for some serious stuff!**

**Just a little warning: this week, I happen to be starting school and though the first week is normally uneventful, there is always that one teacher that likes to dole out homework on the second day! But I promise to start writing the next chapter and finishing it as soon as possible, okay? **

'**Til then, I love you guys, and I implore you to leave a nice little review—you can do so by clicking that cute text box at the bottom! Bye!**


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